Flume.



A. C. NORTON.

FLUME.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I0, 1916.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

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mamme Patented Aug. 21, 1917. 2 8HEETSSHEET 2.

FLIJME. APPLICATION FILED APR. I0. I916 porting members A BER s ason, r DENVER, comma r iIMa Specification of. Letters Patent.

Patented Au 21., 1917 i Application filed April 10, 1916. Serial No. 90,044..

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT O. NonroN, 1a citizen of the United States, and .a resident of Denver, in the county of Denver and :State of Colorado, have invented a certain Flumes, of

new and useful Improvement in which the following is a full, clear, exact description.

My invention is an improvement in sheetand 'metal fiumes and its principal object is the provision of a construction obviating the necessity of using the customary tension and compression members at the joints betweenthe flume sections, thus materially reducing the weightv of metal requiredfor-the manufacture of a fiume of a given capacity.-

To this .end my construction comprises a combined section alining and flume supportingl member disposed along each longitudinal edge of the fiume, ing the horizontal edges of the flume sections in absolutely fixed relation one to the other and therefore preventing the sagging the other at the of one plate relative to.

therefore be of a joints. The joints may simple sheet overlapping type. (preferably slightly wedged) and packed, if. desired, with some suitable semi-viscous cement. or the like. The section alining and flume supare' preferably relatively long vrods extending longitudinally of the fiume at each edge, the sheets being strung on these rods by means of suitable cylindrical beads on the longitudinal edges of the sheets and the entire fiumebeing supported at 'frequent intervals by suitable hanger means engaging grasping the beads around :the rods. Further and more detailed objects and advantages of my invention; will later appear in .this specification. I

I have illustrated several modified forms of my invention in the two sheets of drawings accompanying this application, in which- -Figure 1 is a broken perspective of a portionlof a flume showing a preferred form of joint and hanger means. i

Fig. 2 is .a transverse vertical .sec'tion through the flume shown in Fig.1 taken at a .point adjacent the hangers;

Fig. 3 is a perspective showinga longitudinal vertical section through the same the sections;

these members hold-.

the rods indirectly by Fig. l is a vertical transverse section similar to. Fig. 2 but taken through a fiume having another type of hanger means;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 3- through modified forms of joints;

Fig. 7 is a partial perspective view of a. joint formed in the manner illustrated in b Fig. 6. and

Fig. 8 1s a partial perspective view of a modified form of the joint shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring to they drawings, let 10, 1O indicate longitudinal stringersof a substructure on which the fiume is to be carried and 11, 12, a pair of adjacent fiume sections. Each flume section is a transversely curved metallic plate andis provided along each longitudinal edge with a bead 13, the shape of whi h is best shown in Fig. 2. This bead inyits preferred form has a substantially cy-. lindrical portion. ending in a reverse curve forming a downwardly turned lip 14 adapted to. lie against thebody portion of the section as shown, and by means of these beads 18, the flume sections are strung on the section alining and supporting rods 15:. At the joints the sections are overlapped to form the joints, three forms of these joints being indicated in Figs. 3, 5 and 6.

The structure thus formed is supported from the stringers suitable hanger means. The preferred form of these means is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and consists of a pair of shoes 16, 17. The outer end of the shoe 17 is adapted to be supported on the top of a stringer 10. and its inner end is downwardly curved to form a socket 18 to engage the lower curve ofthe bead 13 and to have its inner end abut.

against'the lip 14: on the' bead. The upper shoe 16 rests on the lower shoe and extends down over the head 13 as indicated at 19 in Figs. 1 and 2 to. retain the bead and its inclosed rod firmly within the socketof the lower shoe. A lag screw or spike 20 serves the inner extremity of the shoe 17 by con-' tasting with the lip 14 serves to effectually prevent the head from slipping and straightening out under the load when the flume is filled with water. The sets of shoes are located as, closely together as may be necessary it? Carry the load constituted by the flume and the water'which it contains, relatively more being employed on larger fiumes than on smaller. p

Figs. 4 and 7 illustrate another form of hanger which comprises but a single element which is a hook shaped member 21 adapted tobe similarly spiked to a stringer and to pass under the bead 13 through a notch 22 cut out of the plate. 1

Any desired type of joint between the flume sections may be employed in connection with the suspending means of. my in vention but I have :illustratedthree pre ferred forms in Figs. 3, 5-and 6. The form 'shown in Fig.3 is preferred for small and moderate'sized flumes; while those shown in Figs. 5 ,and6 are deemed better adapted to larger sizes as they give increased stiffness:

to the plates at the'joints In the modification of Fig; 3 the outer plate 11 is rolled into a slightly flaring bell into which the section 12' is forced until it makes a tight joint therewith. Plastic cement 24is then applied to make the joint water tight and also to render the interior of the flume perfectly smooth. In Fig. 5 the outer plate is rolled into 'a compound bead, thus materially stifi'- 25- acting to wedge the section 11 and the concave bead 26 serve;

against leaking away if it should be softened by the weatherening it, the convex bead ing to retain the cement24t In Fig. 6 both sections 11 and 12 are; given beads, the curvature of the bead on 12 being the shorter. The bead on 12 can therefore ride on the bead L011 11 until it is tight and then the cement 24 is added. To render this type of joint smooth I prefer to employ a half round 27 to fill the bead 12. This half round may beheld in place in either of the two ways shown inwFigs. 7 and8; In Fig. 7 its ends are bent out after, clearing the sides of the fiume and are nailed" to the stringers as at 28. In Fig; 8 a: shoe 29-, secured to the stringer and having an inclined under face to engage the ends of the half roundand wedge. it in place, is employed.

. Since the flume "sections are all mounted on the rods 15 and since they overlap at thejoints, provision must be made for the beads 13' at the overlap. In Fig. 1 this is accomplished by allowing the beads also to overlap, the beadon the section 12 to permit of this; in Fig. 7 the beadon the inner section has been notched, thus avoid lng springing either'bead'and possible difficulty' in assembling through a tighter fit on the beads than at other'points.

'If desired the abutting ends of the rods 15 may be joined by pin andsocket or other connecting means such as sleeves; but this will ordinarily be found unnecessary since the beads 13- in which the rods are incased constitute in effect sleeves. for joining their ends 'andsince the supporting shoes are 10-- being sprung cated at such close intervals that there is little tendency for the ends of the rods to be dealining means may be said to be constituted by a substantially continuous structure from end to end of the fiume.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentisim Y l.= In a'flume,'the combinationwith' a plu ralityof transversely curved sections-joined:- along their curved edges, said sections having beads on their longitudinal edges, of a rod extending longitudinally of said :flume and across the joints between said sections, said rod being incased within-the beads of a plurality of said sections. 7 L

2. In a flume, the combination witha plu rality of transversely curved sections joined alongtheir curved edges, said sections havingbeads on their longitudinal edges,'of a rodeXtending' longitudinally of said flume on each side thereof, each' rod being incased- Withinthe'beads on a plurality of saidsections and crossing the joints between sections. w

'3. In a flume, the combination with a plu-Q rality of transversely curved sections'joined along their curved edges, said sections'hav ing beads on their longitudinal edges,: ofa series of rods on each side of said -fiume,.the"J rods of each series being disposed end to'end'; and all being incased within'the beads on 100 said sections which are thereby mounted on said rods with the 'rods crossing the joints between said sections. a

4. In a device of the class describedfa' substructure, a plurality of transversely 105 curved sections joined in overlapping relation along their curved edges, said sections having beads on their longitudinaledges, two parallel series of rods, the rods-of'each series beingdisposed end to end and :all-b'e' *11'0 ing. incased within the beads on said see tions which are thereby mounted "onsaid.

flume' from said substructure 5.'In a device of the class described, a flume section having a substantially cylin-q drical bead on its longitudinal edge,"arod'1'20 within said bead, and" a=pair of clamping and supporting shoes adapted to'underlieand overlie said bead-respectively and grasp the same between them, and means for attachingisaid-shoes toa substructure.-

6. In a device of the class described, a flume section having a substantially cylindrical bead with "a 'downturned lip, said bead beingon the longitudinal edge of said section, a rod within the cylindrical portion. 130

of said bead, and a pair of clamping and supporting overlie said bead respectively, said underlying shoe having a socket for receiving saidbead and being shaped to engage said lip with its extremity and said overlying shoe being shaped to hold said bead in said socket, and means for attaching said shoes to a substructure.

7 In a flume, a pair of curved flume sections having beads on their longitudinal edges, one end of each section being of slightly less diameter than the other, and a pair of rods each of which extends across the joint between the sections, and on which said sections are mounted by means of said beads in such manner that the smaller end of one section may be slipped tightly home within the larger end of the other Section, whereby said rods will retain said sections in proper alinement.

8. In a flume, a pair of curved sections having beads on their longitudinal edges, each section having a plain end and a slightly flaring end, and a pair of rods each of which extends across the joint between the sections, and on which said sections are mounted by means of said beads in such manner that the plain end of one section may be slipped tightly home within the flaring end of the other section, whereby said Copies of this patent may shoes adapted to underlie and be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the rods will retain said sections in proper alinement.

9. In a flume, a pair of curved sections having beads on their longitudinal edges, each section having a plain end and a slightly flaring end, a pair of rods each of which extends across the joint between the sections, and on which said sections are mounted by means of said beads in such manner that the lain end of one section may be slipped tig tly home within the flaring end of the other section, whereby said rods will retain said sections in proper alinement, and a packing between the overlapping portions of said sections.

10. In a flume, a pair of curved sections having beads on their longitudinal edges, each section having a plain end and a slightly flaring beaded end, and a pair of rods each of which extends across the joint between the sections, and on which said sections are mounted by means of said longitudinal beads in such manner that the plain end of one section may be slipped tightly home within the flaring end of the other section, whereby said rods will retain said sections in proper alinement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ALBERT C. NORTON.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

